The Key Revealed: Part 2

1 Reply

IMG_0017We watched this twelve-year-old go in and out of trances, with screaming and times of vomiting. We prayed and took authority in the name of Jesus, but we didn’t see the deliverance that Ester* needed. Lord, help us to uncover the reason this is happening to her. Why does the enemy have such a hold on her? We need the key revealed so that we can close the door to the enemy. 

“Ester, the enemy is playing with your mind, but somehow there is a door open to the spiritual realm for that to happen. Can you tell us anything that would help us understand what is going on with you?” I asked. She looked at me with blank eyes, trying to comprehend what I said.

Walter* watched her closely and then looked down at some bracelets on her wrists. “What are the meaning of these bracelets?” he inquired.

“They are satanic,” she said. Then she pointed out her ring and necklace and explained that they also symbolized satanic beliefs. “People in the gang gave them to me.” She continued to tell her story of feeling unloved by a family who drank liquor and used drugs. They encouraged her to participate in those things, and the father even brought home glue for her to sniff. “I wanted peace and love in my life, and that drew me into the gang. They accepted me and treated me like they cared.”

I shuddered as she described the gang’s symbol: a tattoo of three triangular dots. To have the brand of this satanic group signified a lifetime commitment, and they would kill anyone trying to leave the gang. Thank goodness, the police picked up Ester from the streets the day she was scheduled to receive her tattoo. Her next words made my blood run cold. “The gang chose me to be the bride of Satan,” she said with fear flickering in her eyes. Ester quickly scanned the room, as though watching for something or someone. “I thought that Satan loved me, so I gave myself to him.”

I knew enough about satanic rituals to know that such a position put her life in danger. The spiritual dynamics of being the bride of Satan explained the tremendous fear we saw exhibited by Ester. With the key to the manifestations now exposed, we needed to have the Lord’s wisdom and guidance as to how to proceed for her deliverance. Since Ester had consented to allow this in her life, she had to denounce the demons of darkness and break the enemy’s hold on her life. I trusted the Lord to lead us in the way this would happen. I also had another concern. Lord, keep us safe here at the orphanage. These gang members could easily find out where we live and try to get Ester back with them. Give us the wisdom to break all of this off of her.

After hearing Ester’s story, I felt shaken to the point that I lacked words, so I gave her a hug. Then I sought out my secret place of prayer with the Lord to see what the He had planned for this special child. Were we in for a huge battle? I didn’t know what to expect, but I believed in the Lord for Ester’s deliverance.

*Name has been changed.

Demonic Manifestation: Part 1

2 Replies

Spiritual battles and demonic manifestations plagued the girls, who knowingly or unknowingly had been involved in such things before coming into Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. Having had some experience in the deliverance ministry before I came to the mission field saved my sanity and kept me from the fear that comes with dealing in the spiritual realm. I saw what the power of the name Jesus did when spoken out loud. Girls found peace when they declared that Jesus Christ was their Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, this learning curve continued to rise sharply as the staff at Shadow learned the process of breaking off the stronghold of the enemy from these children, according to the promises in the Bible.

Another side of the battle dealt with cultural ideas and old wives’ tales. Pouring holy oil down someone’s throat who is screaming and vomiting does nothing but make the victim miserable. Everything we did needed to be in line with what God intended. Several of the people who worked with us needed to be taught the scriptural ways of deliverance. I might have seen many situations in the past, but I had much more to learn from those who had more experience than I.

In one occurrence, the girls were having devotions when I walked in. Ester* slid to the floor and began screaming, fighting, and vomiting. She fought hard, trying to grab my face when I knelt beside her to pray and calm her down. Ester came out of her trance briefly, recognized me, and then clung to me trembling. I needed to get some help, so I told the house father, Walter*, to talk with her. He had helped in similar situations before and knew what to do. I called Joanne to come assist us with this violent demonic manifestation. Meanwhile, Ester kept going in and out of trances, not knowing those around her, with wild eyes screaming for help. We lost our calm night, and I didn’t think we were gaining any ground in the area of spiritual warfare. We all prayed continually for God’s covering and protection, while we calmed everyone else down and sent them to bed. Ester stayed in the room with the house parents so they could keep an eye on her, even though she had gone into a deep sleep.

The next morning a pounding on my door woke me up with a start. The house mother told me that throughout the night Ester had continued in and out of trances, with bouts of body shaking and crying out in fear. I walked into the dining room to see her. She sat with her head leaned back against the wall, with listless eyes opened. She was totally out of it. She looked dead. Walter and I took her into the bedroom, removing her from the other children. Lord, give us discernment and wisdom. How do we get her free from all of this? While praying, I called out her name several times. With a jerk and a scream, she threw herself into my arms, her body heaving as I spoke. “Ester, you are safe with angels all around you. Jesus is with you, and He will not let any harm come to you.” Walter and I took authority over any further demonic manifestations, declaring Jesus as Lord and Savior.

We needed to find out why the enemy demonstrated so strongly through her. She had the key, and we needed to help her find it. It would be another time when I hadn’t been prepared for the response Ester gave us nor the revelation of the key.

*Name has been changed.

Word Planters

2 Replies

A young girl arrived at Shadow of His Wings Orphanage in horrible physical and mental condition. She had suffered sexual abuse to the point that she did not have normal bodily functions. I faced another case that made me scream out for justice on her behalf. More than that, I desired that the Lord’s hand would heal her mind and body. She needed the “word planters.”

I met with her and shared words of love and hope, but I didn’t expect the response I received.

“Karla*, welcome to Shadow of His Wings. You’ve met the couple who are your house parents and the kids in your casita. Are you ready for school tomorrow?”

“No, I’m not going.” she growled out as dark eyes glared at me. “I don’t have a uniform.” I saw another hard case before me. Fill her with your love, Lord.

“We’re working on that now. We have a lady who will sew a skirt and top for you. There aren’t many extras in the storage room, and they are usually the big sizes. Meanwhile, you have permission to wear any skirt and top until your uniform is finished.” I hoped that the casual talk would help her relax, but she held her hands in fists, and her taut face didn’t show any signs of a smile.

“Karla, I’m here to help you in any way that I can.” Her smirk and sigh told me of her doubt. “You are a special young lady…” and before I could finish, she jumped in with, “No, I’m not.”

Several of the children I’d talked to may have thought this, but she was the first one to say it to me. I need your wisdom, Lord. Please help me to know what to say. I asked her some questions (did she have a good friend; did she attend church), but all of her short answers were matter-of-fact. She appeared emotionally cold. I couldn’t even see a flicker of light in her eyes, and her face was void of expression. Ana* had shut down her brain, but Karla had shut down her emotions.

With many prayers said, the Shadow team spoke words of love and hope into this girl. The response turned into a great victory when we saw her believing the words she heard. This gal did not know how to read and had not attended school before coming to Shadow, but with the annual Fine Arts competition looming ahead, Karla decided she wanted to participate. She memorized a long poem, dressed in typical clothing, and performed as if she had done it many times in the past. It gave me chills to hear her speak with a strong voice filled with emotion. Yahoo, she spoke with emotion! Yes! Lord, You did it. Those positive and encouraging words planted in her were bearing fruit.

Karla still had a long way to go in the area of physical and mental healing, but it thrilled me to see how the adults rallied around her with healing words. This turned into teamwork, with the Guatemalans and North Americans pouring themselves into her and other hurting children. I mentally thought of us as God’s “word planters.” I prayed that we would all be word planters with whomever we came into contact and that the Lord would give us His words of love to share. I knew there wouldn’t always be immediate responses like in the case of Karla, but we needed to do what we could and let God do the rest.

*Name has been changed.

God’s Plan

1 Reply

One day, Gerber jumped up from his desk and ran toward the gate, responding to Antonio’s cries for help. Following Gerber out the door, I couldn’t believe what I saw. After trying to get out of the gate, little Elias* attempted to climb the wall to make an escape. Gerber caught up to him and held the struggling guy in his arms, “It’s okay, Elias, I’m here to help you.”

I walked back to the office with them, thinking of what I wanted to tell this frightened boy who had been with us for only two days. He desperately felt the need to leave and managed to get out of the school, past their gate, and down to the front gate before he got caught. Elias didn’t respond to Gerber, so he obviously didn’t trust people.

Gerber took Elias into his office to talk, and I asked the social worker about Elias and why he came to Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. This boy had lived his young life out on the streets looking for food, a place to sleep, and acceptance. His alcoholic mother told him over and over that he was worthless. She loudly declared that she hated him and wished he had never been born. The neighbors testified to the abuses that took place close to them, and Elias’ body bore scars from his mother and others, as they took out their anger and frustrations upon him.

I could hardly wait to talk with Elias. He sat before me looking down at his shoes. “Elias, look at me, please,” I said. I felt relieved when he did and took advantage of the moment. “Elias, you are loved by all of us here. We want to take care of you and help you feel safe. You don’t have to go look for food or a place to sleep. Don’t you have a bed in the casita?” His scarred head nodded in affirmation. “Have you been given food to eat?” I barely heard the whispered, “Si.”

“Elias, I want to share something with you that you will hear from others here in Shadow, because it is a very important message. Did you know that God has a special plan for your life, and He made you for that special plan? People have done evil things to you, but God did not plan it that way. I believe the Lord has brought you here so you can know how important you are and that you are part of His family.”

I strongly shared these thoughts with Elias because at a time in my past, they impacted me. The goal to teach every child that their lives have purpose in Jesus had been carried out since Marita left the orphanage. Many, like Elias, desperately needed to know their importance in God’s plans. I had the honor of sharing God’s love with Elias. After praying, he rose to leave, grabbed me around my waist, and gave me a big hug. I knew he felt loved, and his life would be transformed because of it.

Elias responded by demonstrating positive changes in his daily interactions. He looked directly into the eyes when spoken to. His lopsided smile and laugh had taken the place of the straight-lipped fear that once showed on his face. Elias soaked in the love and learned to respond to others in the same way as his role models.

My heart soared because of the hope we could give these children, knowing how hopeless many of them felt when they came to us. I could be a part of providing a place of refuge and help them find a purpose for their lives. They are told that they are not some accident but created for a specific plan formed by God. Adding love to this message gives hope the power to fill their hearts with a knowing of who they are in the Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord, that I can be a part of this with You.

*Name has been changed.